


A Friend in Need

by prettybirdy979



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Bullying, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-25
Updated: 2013-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-30 11:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1018204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettybirdy979/pseuds/prettybirdy979
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just an ordinary day for John and Sherlock. </p><p>Which to be fair was never going to be an ordinary day. It is Hogwarts after all. </p><p>But then it got worse...</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friend in Need

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Interrosand](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Interrosand/gifts).



> For Interrosand, who is a brilliant person, lovely friend and one of the nicest people I know. Merci, mon amiee pour tout. Tu es brilliant!
> 
> Just a quick warning for the physical violence and spells in the fic. Nothing worse than in Harry Potter canon but yeah...
> 
> Oh! And thanks to PipMer for reading this over!

“Bored” There’s the usual flash and the fat black pillow is now a black rabbit of equal fatness.

“Bored.” Sherlock repeats and points his wand at the rabbit, transfiguring it into a pillow again. When John doesn’t look up from his pile of books, Sherlock says “Bored, bored, BORED, BORED-”

John finally looks up to watch the ever changing pillow-rabbit. He sighs. “Pick one and stick with it Sherlock or you’ll make the rabbit sick.”

With a final flash, a rabbit sits on the table giving Sherlock a disgruntled look. Sherlock glares at it until it looks down and takes a step away. Sherlock then turns to look up at John from his seat on the floor. Instead of acknowledging him, John just lifts the rabbit off the book it hops onto and moves the book before replacing the rabbit. The rabbit eyes him curiously, clearly trying to decide if he’s worth investigating.

“John-”

“Nope. I’m not listening. This is due tomorrow, and you know McGonagall. No excuses.” John pulls out another book from his bag, opens it to a bookmarked page and balances it on his lap. He then realises he has nowhere to balance his parchment and frowns, trying to make space on the lounge. Sighing when there is no room to be found, he picks a book at random and places it on the table.

Sherlock raises an eyebrow and when John isn’t looking, carefully swaps the book he placed on the table for one on the lounge. He nudges the one on the table out of reach, so John won’t be tempted to use the extraordinarily incorrect information in it. How idiots like that get published…

“Sherlock, stop glaring at my books.”

“They’re wrong.”

John sighs. “I know, but these are the books no one wanted. All the others are out.”

Sherlock rolls his eyes and grabs at the rabbit, catching - he quickly checks- her as she accidentally jumps off the table. She blinks at him with large, confused eyes.

“So you’re going to be wrong because those idiots took your books.” Sherlock sums up as he stands.

“Not exactly how it happened. Where are you going?”

“To get my essay. You can take things for that from it.” He waves a hand at John’s parchment. John opens his mouth to protest but at that moment the common room door opens and a pair of John’s housemates, Bill and Mike, walk in. They see Sherlock and begin to glare at the Slytherin.

“John, you’ve been warned-” Bill warns, fingering his prefect badge.

“But I haven’t” Sherlock smirks. “And John isn’t the one sneaking in here.”

“I’ll report you.”

“Again?” Sherlock shakes his head. “I’ll be back soon John. See if some of your intelligence can rub off on your-” he pauses and eyes the dark look on John’s face and the slightly terrified look on the other Hufflepuff’s faces, “friends while I’m gone.”

“You think I have intelligence?” John asks Sherlock’s back.

“When compared to everyone but me!” Sherlock shouts as the door closes behind him.

John shrugs. “That’s a compliment.” He says to himself. “I had better write this down.” He looks for his quill and sighs after a moment. “Fine, I’ll take the hint Sherlock. You bloody thief.”

********

“No, stop you stupid creature. No. Stop.” Sherlock tries to rearrange the rabbit and quill he is holding so the rabbit can’t continue to chew on John’s quill but he can still manage to hold her when she starts to squim.  He’s not looking where he’s going, he knows the path from the Hufflepuff common room to his too well to bother.“Stop it or I’ll call you Anderson.”

The rabbit stops moving and gives Sherlock a look that he for some reason can’t help but see as sad and horrified.

“Okay, that might have been a low blow.” He admits and the rabbit’s look brightens. Sherlock sighs. ”John really is a horrible influence.”

“Talking to yourself, Freak?” The recently insulted boy says and Sherlock only just manages to hide his startled jerk as he looks up to see his way blocked by a group of his housemates, Anderson and Sebastian Wilkes at the front.

“At the moment, it’s the best conversation around. Certainly more interesting than anything you have to say.” Despite his bravado, Sherlock shuffles the things in his hand, trying to get a hand free so he can reach his wand. Wandless magic is something he’s been practicing but he’s barely got the hang of levitation. He needs his wand.

“You’re such a freak!” One boy calls from the back, causing a general agreeing mutter in the group.

“And you’re sleeping with the girlfriend of the boy beside you.” There is an outraged cry and the sound of a punch. Sherlock rolls his eyes.“Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought we were stating the obvious.” He shrugs. “I must have been giving you all too much credit.”

Seb steps forward, staring Sherlock down and ignoring the cries behind him. “Sherlock, you have to stop doing this. We’re Slytherin, we’re supposed to present a united front to the other houses and show them our superiority.” He fingers his prefect badge much like Bill had done earlier but somehow he makes the movement much more threatening. “Not torment our housemates and associate with-” he struggles for the right word, “Mudblood scum.”

“John you mean.” Sherlock says quietly. Using Seb’s body as cover for his actions, he carefully drops the rabbit and is relieved to feel her brush past his ankle on her way back to John. He slips his hand into his pocket.

“Yes.”

Sherlock’s gaze turns hard. “John is a far better man than you’ll ever be.” He whispers, then raises his voice. “No matter how much you sweet talk me Seb, I’m never going to fuck you. You’re not even worth the thought.”

It works as intended. Instead of cursing him, something that Sherlock is sure he’s too close to counter, Seb reacts instinctively and punches Sherlock in the face. As he falls back, Sherlock draws his wand and cries “Expelliarmus!” and smiles at the curse when someone’s wand goes flying. Sherlock hits the ground and tries to roll away.

But then Seb draws his own wand. “Expelliarmus!” And Sherlock’s wand is forced from his grip.

“Imobilus!” Anderson cries and Sherlock’s limbs lock up.

“Get him!” Someone cries and moments later a foot connects with his stomach.

 _Come on John._ Sherlock thinks, as he is levitated so he is hanging on the wall. Like a target.

He watches his attackers line up. _John-_

********

“What’s that noise?” A fifth year asks, breaking the strained silence of the common room she had entered moments ago.

John looks up from where he is trying to find the ‘glaring’ errors in the text Sherlock had moved.”Silence?” He snaps.

The girl wilts under his glare and John sighs. “Sorry, I can’t he-” Suddenly he hears it, a faint scratching noise, “that. What is that?”

The girl (Molly was it?) shrugs. “Sounds like Toby when he’s trying to get into my room?” The way she turns her statement into a question combines with the fear in her eyes as she looks at John and makes him feel awful for snapping at her.

He stands. “Can you hear where it’s coming from?” By now the entire common room, which is admittedly only five other people, is watching them.

“Not from here!” A boy by the window calls.

“Not here?” A first year offers from her spot on the floor in a corner, flipping her chocolate frog cards and looking under them like they’re hiding a cat.

“The entrance?” Bill says quietly, not meeting John’s eyes.

John nods and walks over to the entrance, opening it and watching as Sherlock’s black rabbit hops in.

“Oh. Hello you. Where’s Sherlock?” John asks the rabbit. It ignores him and scratches at one ear before giving John a stare that reminds him terribly of Sherlock’s when he’s bored and hopes John can fix it.

John peers down the corridor but there’s no sign of Sherlock. “Molly, can you mind this rabbit please? It should have been with him…” He starts to go out, realises it’s Sherlock he’s going for and quickly races to his lounge and grabs his wand.

“What’s its name?” Molly calls after him and it takes John a second to realise she means the rabbit.

“Sherlock hasn’t named it yet.” He shouts back, not hearing Molly’s reply.

*******

At first John walks fast but silently, slinking in the shadows so he won’t be seen. But then he remembers Sherlock’s advice, often hissed at him when they snuck out after curfew. He straightens up, puts on a determined face and tries to look like he should be here. Sherlock is much better at it really, but since there’s no one in the halls it doesn’t matter.

Until he turns a corner and nearly runs into Sally Donovan, the Slytherin prefect that often targets Sherlock. She squeaks and John reacts, covering her mouth so she won’t call out. Her surprise turns into anger as she glares at him.

Slowly he removes his hand. “What are you doing?” She snaps.

“Looking for Sherlock.” He goes to step around her but she moves with him.

“It’s nearly curfew, go back to your common room.”

John shakes his head. “Not happening. Move over please.”

“Also not happening. I’m prefect Watson, go back to your hous-”

John grits his teeth. “Move Donovan, or I will make you.”

She draws her wand. “Really?”

John smirks, a smile he’s been practicing so it looks just like Sherlock’s creepy “I’m nice really” smile, and lunges for her. Surprised at a physical attack when she was expecting magic, Donovan doesn’t manage to get a spell out before he is there. She flinches expecting to be hit but John dodges around her, using the rugby technique some of his childhood friends among the Muggle boys in his neighbourhood taught him last summer.

John is halfway down the hallway before he hears the sounds of her footsteps following him and her calling after him.

“Stop! You can’t go that way. No!”

John turns a corner and stops dead as the scene before his eyes registers. Sherlock is halfway down this hallway, surrounded by a crowd of people, all wearing Slytherin colours. He is on his knees, looking up at Wilkes and John can see the glare on Sherlock’s face from here along with the blood dripping from Sherlock’s nose that makes John’s own blood boil. Sherlock’s robe is hanging on the wall and his wand is a few metres beyond that, clear signs of the abuse these... _things_ have put him through. John can’t hear what Sherlock is saying but he can see his lips moving and Wilkes replying.

It's in John’s favour that the noise he and Sally made hasn’t been heard here, something he can guess as no one is looking back at him. John ducks back around the corner so he won’t be seen, just sticking his head around so he can come up with a plan . Sally comes up to him as he looks on, trying to figure out the odds and make them less impossible.

“Watson-” She begins but then her voice is drowned out as Sherlock raises his voice.

“Finally have me where you want me Seb? I can tell you now, nothing short of the Imperius Curse will make me suck you.”

“You fucking freak!” Wilkes roars. “Do you kiss your John with that mouth?”

A look appears on Sherlock’s face and he takes a deep breath.

“You’re beneath me.” He says, then spits. In Wilkes’ face. While wearing an expression that John takes a moment to identify as one that he often wears. A small part of him takes the time to be flattered that Sherlock thinks his expressions are worth copying.

Wilkes stares at Sherlock for a moment then wipes his face and points his wand at Sherlock with a snarl. “Crucio!”

Sherlock jerks and falls, his limbs twitching and something in John snaps as Donovan gasps beside him. He charges down the hall with a roar, his sights set on Wilkes.

“Stupefy!” He cries, his spell so strong that Anderson is knocked off his feet and into a wall. The rest of the group stare in horror and surprise as John sends two more stunning spells into the crowd. It is at that moment he crashes into Wilkes, sending them both tumbling to the floor. Sherlock stops twitching and John reaches for Wilkes’ wand, taking care to stick his knee into Wilkes’ groin as they start to wrestle.

********

It takes Sherlock a moment to realise the pain has disappeared. The world is slow to return, fixed as his mind is on the seemingly never ending torment of the moment before. He takes a shallow breath, then another. Then it seems like he can’t take enough breaths and there’s not enough air.

“What do we do?” Someone in the crowd whispers, the first voice to register in Sherlock’s mind since- for a bit. He tries to open his eyes to see who but there’s still not enough air. He can feel his limbs curling up.

“Get out of here!” One panicked voice says and there’s a few footsteps.

“Take one step and I’ll report you as having done the curse too!” A female voice- Sally! Sherlock identifies- states. “You told me you weren’t going to hurt him.” She adds in a whisper.

Sound starts to flood back in properly and Sherlock finally manages to open his eyes. The crowd of his attackers are staring at something behind him that is grunting and cursing. Sally is standing beside them, her wand out and pointed in the crowd’s general direction.

It only takes the crowd a moment to realise the odds are in their favour. “Curse her and get out of here!” Someone cries.

Sally only just gets a shield up in time and Sherlock knows she needs help. Somehow, he raises himself to his trembling knees and unnoticed, crawls towards his abandoned wand. It feels like it takes forever but finally he manages to stretch for and grab his wand.

Behind him a familiar voice makes a startled noise. He rolls over, so he is lying on his back but facing the right way and takes in the scene before him.

Seb is holding John up against a wall, his wand pointed at John’s face. Both of them have blood trickling down their faces and John’s wand is still in his hand though he seems to have forgotten he is holding it.

Sherlock reacts. “Stupefy!” He cries. Wilkes goes flying, banging his head against the wall and joining Anderson on the ground. Sherlock’s eyes close as a wave of tiredness comes over him.

“Sherlock?” John’s worried voice comes as someone kneels beside him. A hand is placed on his side and Sherlock opens his eyes briefly to confirm it is John beside him. Then he moves, faster than he thought possible, so he is clinging to John. After a moment, John wraps an arm around him.

“Got you.” John says simply. Sherlock can hear footsteps coming towards them and the voices of agitated teachers drawn by the sounds of their battle but he can’t bring himself to care. He just holds onto John.

John doesn’t let go.

*******

“Your bed is too small.” Sherlock complains.

John sighs, and rolls over a bit so he is closer to the edge, to give Sherlock’s endless limbs more room. “It’s made for normal sized people Sherlock. Like you used to be.”

Sherlock doesn’t say anything, just like the last five times they’ve had this discussion but does move closer to John so his front is touching John’s back.

Sherlock being more- clingy, John would call it but that implies something bad and it’s really not- physically affectionate is a very new thing but John is getting used to it just like all of Sherlock’s other habits. To be honest, since _that_ night John has been as affectionate as Sherlock; always checking to see where his best friend is and if he is alright.

Sherlock had refused to let go that first night, no matter how much the teachers who had found them or Madame Pomfrey had asked or begged. Instead John had joined Sherlock in the hospital wing bed, curled up much like they are now. He had held his friend through his silent, jerking nightmares and then been held through his own.

Anderson had been revived and sent back to his common room with the other members of the crowd, all with detentions to serve; Donovan had joined them but had gotten off with a warning as they all had admitted only asking her to stand watch knowing she wouldn’t help if she had known what was to happen.

Wilkes had been revived and expelled. Only his age and his parent’s influence had kept him from being charged though when Sherlock’s brother had come to visit the day after, John had gotten the impression this might not be the state of affairs for very long.

John wasn’t surprised to find he liked the idea of Wilkes in prison. It seemed fitting.

“Out of your head.” Sherlock says, right into John’s ear which breaks him out of his thoughts.

“Never thought I would hear you say that.” John whispers, and he can feel Sherlock’s smile against the back of his head.

The door is in John’s line of sight so he sees it slowly open a crack. He rolls his eyes. “We’re decent Bill!”

Bill pokes his head in, careful not to enter into the room without either boy’s express permission. All of Hufflepuff house had been extraordinarily helpful from the moment John had brought the pale, shaking boy back to his dorm; Sherlock having thrown up at the mere thought of going back to his own dorm. And when they had entered the common room John’s housemates had taken one look at Sherlock, still clinging to John’s side and instantly fallen over themselves to help. Bill had helped John get Sherlock to his bed and for the first night at least, John’s dorm mates had found other places to sleep. Molly had brought Sherlock’s rabbit back, having named the black rabbit Sandy as a joke. Since Sherlock hadn’t changed the name, John was sure he found the joke funny.

Speaking of which, Bill holds out the rabbit, who is chewing happily on a piece of paper. “Sorry to disturb you, but this monster was eating Mike’s homework.”

John sighs. “Put her on the bed.” Bill does so with a relieved smile and takes off, leaving them alone.

“I should turn her back into a pillow.” Sherlock muses. “Less fuss.”

“You wouldn’t.” John says confidently, patting Sandy as she chews on the paper. “Your spell would have worn off by now if you hated her.”

Sherlock just hums in agreement and reaches over John to pat her too.


End file.
